Homes in Colorado and the U.S. are falling into foreclosure at a much faster pace this year than last, according to a report Thursday from RealtyTrac. But a freeze on foreclosure activity early last year by lenders waiting for new federal guidelines on loan modifications can explain much of that gap. The government had asked lenders to voluntarily halt foreclosures until the new guidelines came out, and many did so. In Colorado, overall foreclosure filings in the first quarter were running 27.1 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2009, according to RealtyTrac. Nationally, they were increasing at a 16 percent pace. Colorado reported one foreclosure filing for every 134 homes during the quarter, ranking it 10th among states. Nationally, the rate was 1 out of 138 homes. Ryan McMaken, author of a separate foreclosure report from the Colorado Division of Housing, said foreclosure activity in the state is running higher this year than last. He attributes that to the voluntary moratorium last year. But the first-quarter state numbers are tracking on par with, and in some cases lower than, other quarters last year. “I haven’t seen anything that indicates why Colorado has accelerated more than the nation,” McMaken said. That isn’t to say that lengthy periods of unemployment and lower incomes aren’t weighing on many home owners despite efforts to help them. Some economists and industry experts expect more borrowers to lose their homes through foreclosure or short sales, in which they sell the property for less than they owe, as government and industry mortgage- relief programs falter. “We’re not surprised to see an influx of (repossessed properties). We thought this would be coming; we just didn’t know when,” said Daren Blomquist, spokesman for RealtyTrac. The Washington Post contributed to this report. Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com